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This Riot Is Not In Ferguson, It Is In Hong Kong
Update: the Occupy Central campaign has officially begun, which likely means even more violent reprisals by the local police:
Occupy Central will begin with govt HQ. Demand 1: Beijing takes back ruling on voting restrictions 2: Restart electoral reform procedure.
— Alan Wong (@byAlanWong) September 27, 2014
It's official: Occupy Central now. pic.twitter.com/LT4TGDg86R
— Alan Wong (@byAlanWong) September 27, 2014
No, this is not Ferguson: it is, according to many, the world's most capitalist city, Hong Kong, where over the past few hours, around 50,000 students are said to have massed on late Saturday, demanding more democracy, as tensions grew over Beijing's decision to rule out free elections in the former British colony.
Admiralty, the heart of Hong Kong's government, is officially occupied. pic.twitter.com/GqVczZUPwF
— Alan Wong (@byAlanWong) September 27, 2014
According to Reuters, the crowds swelled less than 24 hours after riot police used pepper spray to disperse protesters around government headquarters, arresting more than 60 people opposed to the Chinese government's tightening grip on the city. The unrest underscores the obstacles China faces in Hong Kong as a restive younger generation challenges its influence over the densely-populated financial hub.
More:
Tempers flared and there were scenes of chaos before dawn on Saturday when protesters used umbrellas to shield themselves from the pepper spray. Those who got hit used water to rinse their eyes. "I paid my highest respect to every soldier who defends till the last moment... Civil disobedience - it continues to happen," said student leader Lester Shum on his Facebook page.
Hong Kong's Education Bureau appealed to parents and teachers on Saturday not to allow underage children and students to take part in unlawful activities to avoid risking their safety.
Leaders of the local Occupy movement arrived to show their support for the protests. They plan to blockade the financial district on Oct. 1, a holiday, hoping it will escalate into one of most disruptive protests in Hong Kong for decades.
The latest clashes were the most heated in a series of anti-Beijing protests. Police arrested six people overnight, including teenage student leader Joshua Wong, who was dragged away by police, kicking, screaming and bleeding from his arm, after he called on the protesters to charge the government premises.
"Hong Kong's future belongs to you, you and you," Wong, a thin 17-year-old with dark-rimmed glasses and bowl-cut hair, told cheering supporters before he was taken away.
One thing is certain: the youth protest movement can hardly be any more ineffectual than America's own OccupyWallStreet farce.
One protester said she had joined the protests to secure a better future for her five-year-old son, who was by her side wearing swimming goggles to protect him if the police fired more pepper spray.
"If we don't stand up, we will be worried about his future," said the 33-year-old woman named Li. "He can't choose his own future."
The demonstrators broke through a cordon late on Friday and scaled perimeter fences to invade the city's main government compound in the culmination of a week-long rally to demand free elections. The Hospital Authority said 34 people had been treated in hospital by Saturday evening as a result of the clashes.
The protesters were removed one by one on Saturday afternoon, some of them carried away.
"The police have used disproportionate force to stop the legitimate actions of the students and that should be condemned," said Benny Tai, one of the three main organizers of the pro-democracy Occupy Central movement.
Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 under a formula known as "one country, two systems", with a high degree of autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China. Universal suffrage was set as an eventual goal. But Beijing last month rejected demands for people to freely choose the city's next leader in 2017, prompting threats from activists to shut down the Central financial district in a so-called Occupy Central campaign. China wants to limit elections to a handful of candidates loyal to Beijing.
Which, maybe just maybe, could explain our post from May showing "Stunning Images Of Chinese Riot Police Training For A "Working Class Insurrection." Here is a sampling, via Ifeng.com, captions google translated:
May 11, heavy rain, the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau
carried out emergency disposal operations training activities.
Participating in the training team for a variety of different
emergencies riot synthesis disposal training.
"Demonstrators" prepare to impact SWAT.
"Demonstrators" armed with sticks toward the SWAT
"Demonstrators" conflict with the SWAT occur.
"Demonstrators" ignite gasoline SWAT throwing bottles.
Special police armed with riot shields are ready, surrounded by "demonstrators."
SWAT are quick to reach "emergency scene."
"Demonstrators" rushed SWAT.
SWAT are quick to reach "emergency scene."
Shenzhen police using ground and air linkage way to quickly reach "emergency scene."
More "thugs" armed with machetes out of the bus.
"Demonstrators" ignite gasoline bottles toward the bus.
SWAT team members quickly surrounded the bus.
Emergency mobile teams to participate in emergency disposal operations team training sudden rain rushed to the scene
Emergency mobile teams to participate in emergency disposal operations training team.
»
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Democracy =undesirable. There is a case to be made in favor of monarchy as at least the government is privately owned and thus a vested interest in preservation of sound systems/economic reforms to keep it going, as opposed to the whims of the mobocracy and the here and now and not discounting the future.
I was there several weeks ago. Saw 3 infowars.com T shirts on young people there......hope! Ristance is Victory!
They can have our democracy. We are not using it.
Don't worry these crowd will disperse like our Occupy Wall St when the cold set in!!
It's funny; the ONLY people who do not want reforms are the HK real estate billionaires and the chubby gubmint officials.
I suspect The Best and the Brightest will intensify their efforts to move overseas. ZH reported that about 50% of the "wealthy' plan top leave China. I bet that number will rise after this.
Good for us, bad news for China to see the "Brain Drain" move overseas.
your both stupid and uninformed. The wealthy (includes me) have ZERO need to move abroad. HK is not mainland china and if you cannot even distinguish between the 2 why comment at all.!
OK, but maybe you should move abroad (got that Australian passport). If you think that HK will not be mainland China by 2047 rethink your wealthy ass. Oh, forgot, you are "wealthy'. Xi on your side? Got Law?
wherever communism and islam goes, riots, blood and wars spread...
What these people need is to let banking elites establish a central bank on their land and people surrender all civil liberties and become debt serfs. In return, the bankers promise to provide bread and circus.
Watch out for the agent provacateurs.
The PRC will back down after a token show of force. HK will never be the same as the mainland. Then again, the mainland is beginning to act more and more like HK yearly.
DEMOCRACY - HAHAHAHA. There is not one country in the world that runs a full democracy. Even the so called free countries only run a POLYARCHY!
But then, you have the US that has shredded the constitution and is now on the GESTAPO MANIFESTO (PATRIOT ACT).
AND NO, THESE MORONS IN NO WAY REPRESENT THE HONG KONG PEOPLE. They are only naive trouble makers that can't even get a drink in a bar. THEY ARE A DISGRACE to the CHINESE PEOPLE.
No you are a disgrace. For your inability and braindead comments. Xianggang ren pidu you.
really? How come all the morons in the occupy are SECONDARY SCHOOL CHILDREN? Enlighten me with your total lack of knowledge! How is it that you have SECONDARY SCHOOL CHILDREN BOYCOTTING SCHOOL FOR THIS? Explain it pls as why the middle class, working people and the well to do are watching all this at home and LAUGHING THEIR ARSES OFF?
DEMOCRACY HAHAHAHA....YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT THE WORLD HAS NOT ONE NATION THAT HAS A DEMOCRACY!!!!
US/UK et all have POLYARCHY'S. In case you have ZERO clue about politics go look it up!! MORON!
As for you ON9!
ON9 = "DICKHEAD", "CLUELESS IDIOT", "IDIOT", "MORON".......
Is this your shi tansuo xingzhi de cuowo?
Having a laugh Asshat
CIA busy again, No doubt US will annex Hong Konk= Enter Victoria Nuland "Fuck China"
Are you trying to be humourous? Fail.
sometimes the truth can be viewed by the uninformed to be humerous. Ignorance is way more humerous and deadly!
Why do the last 12 pictures look like they are from a riot control training exercise?
Thats right, I must have read it here. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3155456/posts
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-13/stunning-images-chinese-riot-po...
It looks like war games, but it is about the lives of real people. Just over a year ago I stumbled upon a blog on WordPress .com written by Gerry Spence who was born and educated in the small towns of Wyoming where he has practiced law for almost fifty-five years. As a nationally known figure in the legal system Spence has spent his lifetime representing and protecting victims of the legal system from what he calls The New Slave Master: big corporations and big government. Below is a disturbing take on society put out there by Gerry Spence and the idea that we have become no more than slaves.
http://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2012/02/we-are-all-slaves-interesting-tho...